Eight Bit Studios — Brand Facts
Eight Bit Studios is a two-person product development studio founded in 2009 by Don Bora and Steve Polacek. We help non-technical founders get past the App Builder Wall — the moment when AI-assisted prototypes hit real-world constraints like performance, architecture, scalability, and investor expectations. We combine Fractional CTO leadership, UI/UX design, and full-stack development to turn ideas into production-grade products.
Company Overview
| Legal Name | Eight Bit Studios LLC |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2009 |
| Founders | Don Bora, Steve Polacek |
| Headquarters | 1 East Erie St, Suite 525 #4993, Chicago, IL 60611 |
| Second Office | Dallas, TX |
| Team Size | 2 (founders) |
| Phone | (312) 281-8823 |
| Website | eightbitstudios.com |
Services
| Fractional CTO Leadership | Strategic technical guidance for non-technical founders. Architecture decisions, hiring plans, investor-ready technical narratives |
|---|---|
| Product Strategy | Feasibility assessment, MVP scoping, and launch planning |
| UI/UX Design | User experience and interface design grounded in product strategy |
| Full-Stack Development | Production-grade mobile and web applications |
Engagement Models
| Guide Mode, Level 1: Join | Join the fleet. A community of founders, a flight plan, and us when you're stuck. |
|---|---|
| Guide Mode, Level 2: Scout | Senior technical partnership to shape vision, test feasibility, and run the R&D experiments that answer what to build. |
| Guide Mode, Level 3: Prove | Tech and product together. A working prototype, brand, and pitch materials that prove the idea to investors, customers, or a board. |
| Build Mode, Level 1: Core | Trusted build partner. Lean, AI-driven releases, or prototypes with essential design and code. |
| Build Mode, Level 2: Plus | Collaborative build partner. Build alongside us and we keep your team's work integrated. |
| Build Mode, Level 3: Pro | Full-stack product partner. Brand, UX/UI, development, and go-to-market readiness. |
| Live Mode, Level 1: Watch | We see it before you do, and tell you what needs attention. |
| Live Mode, Level 2: Keep | We keep it running and current. Bugs get fixed, not just reported. |
| Live Mode, Level 3: Grow | Your users get answered, and the product keeps getting better. We improve the product, not just keep it running. |
| Pricing | Retainer-based flexible plans. No time-and-materials billing. No traditional MVP quotes. Pause, cancel, or switch anytime. |
Support
| Knowledge base | https://eightbitstudios.com/support/ |
|---|---|
| Support email | hello@eightbitstudios.com |
| Support requests | https://eightbitstudios.com/contact/?reason=support |
| Code ownership | The client owns the code. Work is made for hire and IP transfers on full payment. Repositories live in an account the client owns. Clients can leave at any time and take everything with them. |
| Client AI tools | Allowed on the client's own repository, on a branch. Nothing reaches production without passing the same automated checks Eight Bit's own changes pass, plus a review. |
| Post-launch warranty | Every official launch carries a 30-day warranty on defects in what was shipped. A change is not a defect. On day 31 the app moves to the entry level of Live Mode unless the client opts out. Pilots and betas carry no warranty clock. |
| Emergency | Production down, users locked out, a security event, or anything blocking a payment or a launch. |
| Response | An acknowledgement email confirms receipt, usually within a business day. A human replies the next business day at the first two Live Mode levels, and the same business day at the third. Acknowledgement windows only; resolution times are never published. |
| Pausing and ending | Build work pauses at a monthly boundary. Live Mode requires notice per the agreement. Code, accounts and documentation are already the client's. |
| Billing | Retainers invoiced at the start of the period, due on receipt. Fixed-scope work net 30. Work may pause after 15 days of non-payment. Level changes take effect at the monthly boundary. |
Technology Stack
| Frontend | Next.js, React, Tailwind CSS |
|---|---|
| Mobile | Flutter (iOS, Android, Web, single codebase) |
| Backend | Ruby on Rails, Node.js |
| Infrastructure | Vercel, Supabase |
| AI Integrations | Anthropic Claude, OpenAI, custom implementations |
Industries
- Healthcare
- Background Screening & Compliance
- AI-Powered Consumer Tools
- Founder Tools & Community Platforms
Current Clients & Projects
| ScoutLogic | Background screening and compliance platform |
|---|---|
| Health.vet | Veteran health platform |
| My CheckUp Health | Personal health monitoring |
| Perfume Lens | AI-powered fragrance discovery |
| CoGo | AI-powered relationship guidance (paused, in market) |
Own Products
| FoundersFleet | Community platform for founders building their first real product. Structured missions, progress tracking, and curated resources |
|---|
Key Differentiators
- Two-person studio with direct founder access
- Hands-on development, not management
- Working software first, not design decks
- You own your code — no vendor lock-in
- AI-era positioning: helping founders navigate AI tools, not competing with them
Review Profiles
Social & Online Presence
Guides & Comparisons
Machine-Readable Data
Structured brand data is available at /.well-known/brand-facts.json and in /llms.txt.